Flashlight

ABSTRACT

A flashlight having a housing, a light-end assembly, and a user interface. The light-end assembly, which may be coupled to an end of the housing, may comprise a flexible light component having a proximal end and a distal end. A first plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) may be distributed on the first flexible light component between the proximal end and the distal end. The flexible light component may include a flexible, semi-rigid structure to maintain the flexible light component in a desired shape or position.

CROSS-REFERENCE

The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/529,258, filed Jul. 6,2017 and titled “Flash Light,” the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to flashlights and portable lights. Morespecifically, the present disclosure relates to systems, methods, andapparatuses for remotely monitoring and/or controlling a flashlight,lamp, or other lighting device. The present disclosure also relates tomodular flashlights with flexible lighting elements.

BACKGROUND

Various types of flashlights are known in the art. In one example, aflashlight may be a portable hand-held electric light, where the sourceof the light is an incandescent light bulb or light-emitting diode(LED). Generally, a flashlight comprises a light source (often mountedin a reflector), a transparent cover (sometimes combined with a lens) toprotect the light source, a battery, and a switch/button to activate thelight source. When working in poorly lit spaces, it is oftenadvantageous to secure the flashlight to, or near, the workpiece tobetter-illuminate the area. For example, with regard to automotiverepair, the flashlight may be secured adjacent the engine bay. As can beappreciated, the engine bay is typically crowded and, therefore,difficult to illuminate in its entirety.

Therefore, a need exists for a flashlight configured to project lighttoward generally inaccessible areas, while also generally illuminatingthe surrounding area. Existing adjustable flashlights include twocategories: (1) those that are semi adjustable; and (2) those that arefully adjustable. Semi adjustable flashlights include a fixed lightsource having a swivel or pivot to achieve a greater field of view. Anexample semi adjustable flashlight is described by U.S. Pat. No.6,457,841 to Peter F. Lynch et al., which is titled “Flashlight Having aPivoting Head.” Fully adjustable flashlights employ a single lightsource coupled to a flexible lead to enable the single light source tobe targeted toward the workpiece. An example fully adjustable flashlightis described by U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2004/0174703A1 to Kevin Tally,which is titled “Flexible Flashlight with LED Light Source” (“703publication”). The 703 publication generally describes a flashlight thatincludes a light source positioned at the end of a flexible two-leadwire. The 703 publication explains that the flexible wire may be bent toa desired configuration so as to enable the light source to bepositioned in a desired, highly-inaccessible place.

Existing semi adjustable and fully adjustable flashlights suffer fromcertain problems. For example, the swiveling (or pivoting) joints of asemi adjustable flashlight limit the field of view of the light sourceto the mechanical limits of the movable joint, which results in deadzones (dark areas) where no light can be projected. Further, existingfully adjustable flashlights, such as the flashlight disclosed by the703 publication, employs only a single light source at the distal end ofthe flexible wire. Therefore, while such an arrangement enables a userto direct light toward a specific area, the light coverage is limited tothe single light source at the tip. As with the semi adjustableflashlights, this arrangement also results in dead zones. Thus, a needexists for a flexible flashlight that allows for illumination along theportion extending from housing to the tip of the light element, whilealso maintaining flexibility and directionality. A need also exists formodular flashlights that enable users to interchange components of theflashlight, as well as systems, methods, and apparatuses for remotelymonitoring or controlling a flashlight and other lighting devices.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to modular flashlights, flashlightswith flexible lighting, and to systems, methods, and apparatuses forremotely monitoring or controlling a flashlight and other lightingdevices.

According to a first aspect, a flexible flashlight comprises: a housinghaving a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the housing defines ahollow cavity to house a battery; a light-end assembly having a flexiblelight component and a plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein thelight-end assembly is coupled to the distal end of the housing, whereinthe flexible light component has a proximal end and a distal end, theproximal end of the flexible light component being coupled with thelight-end assembly, and wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes(LEDs) distributed along the flexible light component between itsproximal end and its distal end; and a user interface positioned on anexternal surface of the housing, the user interface being configured tocontrol a function of the flexible flashlight.

In certain aspects, the light-end assembly is configured to coupledetachably with the distal end of the housing via a detachableconnector.

In certain aspects, the detachable connector is a magnetic connector, athreaded connector, or a spring-tension quick disconnector.

In certain aspects, at least one of said plurality of LEDs is a surfacemounted light emitting diode electrically mounted to a flexible printedcircuit board (PCB).

In certain aspects, the flexible light component includes a flexible,semi-rigid structure to maintain the flexible light component in adesired shape or position.

In certain aspects, the flexible, semi-rigid structure is a metal wire.

In certain aspects, the battery is a rechargeable battery and saidflexible flashlight comprises a charging circuit to charge saidrechargeable battery.

In certain aspects, the charging circuit is coupled to a wirelessreceiver circuit configured to charge said rechargeable batterywirelessly using power received from an external wireless transmitter.

In certain aspects the flexible flashlight further comprises a drivecircuit to adjust a brightness of the plurality of LEDs.

In certain aspects, the drive circuit employs a pulse width modulator toadjust the brightness of the plurality of LEDs.

In certain aspects, the flexible flashlight further comprises a base-endassembly coupled to the proximal end of the housing.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly is configured to coupledetachably with the proximal end of the housing via a detachableconnector.

In certain aspects, the detachable connector is a magnetic connector, athreaded connector, or a spring-tension quick disconnector.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes an auxiliary batteryto charge the battery or power the flexible flashlight.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a hook or a magnet.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a suction cup modulecontrolled by a switch or lever.

In certain aspects, the suction cup module is controlled by a switch orlever.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a swivel joint.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a clamp.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a base structure tosupport the housing in an upright position.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a USB power adapterto facilitate charging of an external device using the battery.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a tail attachmenthaving (1) a flexible, semi-rigid core coated with flexible material or(2) a spring-metal core coated with flexible material.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a mouthpiececomprising a soft material configured to be comfortably secured or heldby a user's mouth.

In certain aspects, the battery is a lithium ion battery.

In certain aspects, the battery is removable from the hollow cavity.

In certain aspects, the light-end assembly comprises an auxiliarybattery to power the plurality of LEDs when the light-end assembly isdetached from the housing.

In certain aspects, the battery is configured to charge the auxiliarybattery when the light-end assembly is attached to the housing.

In certain aspects, the light-end assembly is coupled to the housing viaa wired tether that is configured to power the plurality of LEDs usingthe battery when the light-end assembly is detached from the housing.

In certain aspects, the plurality of LEDs comprises a first LED that isconfigured to be controlled independently of a second LED.

In certain aspects, the first LED and the second LED are positioned todirect light in opposite directions of one another.

In certain aspects, the flexible light component has a substantiallycircular cross-section.

In certain aspects, the flexible light component has a substantiallyoval cross-section.

In certain aspects, the flexible light component has a substantiallyrectangular cross-section.

In certain aspects, the plurality of LEDs is divided into a plurality ofLED arrays that can be independently activated or deactivated.

In certain aspects, the user interface is configured to adjust a desiredamount of light around a longitudinal axis defined by the flexible lightcomponent by selectively activating one or more of the plurality of LEDarrays.

In certain aspects, the user interface has a first extreme position anda second extreme position, wherein each of the plurality of LED arraysis deactivated when the user interface is in the first extreme positionand each of the plurality of LED arrays is activated when the userinterface is in the second extreme position.

In certain aspects, the user interface is configured to activate ordeactivate the plurality of LED arrays incrementally as the userinterface transitions between the first extreme position and the secondextreme position.

In certain aspects, the flexible light component is configured togenerate up to 360 degrees of light about the longitudinal axis.

According to a second aspect, a flashlight comprises: a housing having aproximal end and a distal end, wherein the housing defines a hollowcavity to house a battery; a light-end assembly having at least onelight emitting diode (LED), wherein the light-end assembly is configuredto couple detachably with the distal end of the housing via a detachableconnector; an auxiliary battery situated in or on the light-endassembly, the auxiliary battery being configured to power the at leastone LED when the light-end assembly is detached from the housing,wherein the battery is configured to charge the auxiliary battery whenthe light-end assembly is attached to the housing; and a user interfacepositioned on an external surface of the housing, the user interfacebeing configured to control a function of the flashlight.

In certain aspects, the detachable connector is a magnetic connector, athreaded connector, or a spring-tension quick disconnector.

In certain aspects, the at least one LED is a surface mounted lightemitting diode electrically mounted to a flexible printed circuit board(PCB).

In certain aspects, the battery is a rechargeable battery and saidflashlight comprises a charging circuit to charge said rechargeablebattery.

In certain aspects, the charging circuit is coupled to a wirelessreceiver circuit configured to charge said rechargeable batterywirelessly using power received from an external wireless transmitter.

In certain aspects, the flashlight further comprises a drive circuit toadjust a brightness of the plurality of LEDs.

In certain aspects, the drive circuit employs a pulse width modulator toadjust the brightness of the plurality of LEDs.

In certain aspects, the flashlight further comprises a base-end assemblycoupled to the proximal end of the housing.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly is configured to coupledetachably with the proximal end of the housing via a detachableconnector.

In certain aspects, the detachable connector is a magnetic connector, athreaded connector, or a spring-tension quick disconnector.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes an auxiliary batteryto charge the battery or power the flashlight.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a hook or a magnet.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a suction cup module.

In certain aspects, the flashlight further comprises a DC port toprovide from the battery a jump starting current to jump start an engineof a vehicle.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a swivel joint.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a clamp.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a base structure tosupport the housing in an upright position.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a USB power adapterto facilitate charging of an external device using the battery.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a tail attachmenthaving (1) a flexible, semi-rigid core coated with flexible material or(2) a spring-metal core coated with flexible material.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a mouthpiececomprising a soft material configured to be comfortably secured or heldby a user's mouth.

In certain aspects, the battery is a lithium ion battery.

In certain aspects, the battery is removable from the hollow cavity.

According to a third aspect, a flexible flashlight comprises: a housinghaving a hollow cavity to house a battery, wherein the housing defines afirst end and a second end that is opposed the first end, wherein thehousing defines; a first light-end assembly coupled to the first end ofthe housing, wherein the first light-end assembly comprises (1) a firstflexible light component having a proximal end and a distal end, and (2)a first plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) distributed on thefirst flexible light component between the proximal end and the distalend; a second light-end assembly coupled to the second end of thehousing, wherein the second light-end assembly comprises (1) a secondflexible light component having a proximal end and a distal end, and (2)a second plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) distributed on thesecond flexible light component between the proximal end and the distalend; and a user interface positioned on an external surface of thehousing, the user interface being configured to control a function ofthe flexible flashlight.

In certain aspects, at least one of said first plurality of LEDs and atleast one of said second plurality of LEDs is a surface mounted lightemitting diode electrically mounted to a flexible printed circuit board(PCB).

In certain aspects, each of the first flexible light component and thesecond flexible light component includes a flexible, semi-rigidstructure to maintain a desired shape or position.

In certain aspects, the flexible, semi-rigid structure is a metal wire.

In certain aspects, the battery is a rechargeable battery and saidflexible flashlight comprises a charging circuit to charge saidrechargeable battery.

In certain aspects, the charging circuit is coupled to a wirelessreceiver circuit configured to charge said rechargeable batterywirelessly using power received from an external wireless transmitter.

In certain aspects, the flexible flashlight further comprises a drivecircuit to adjust a brightness of the first or second plurality of LEDs.

In certain aspects, the drive circuit employs a pulse width modulator toadjust the brightness of the first or second plurality of LEDs.

In certain aspects, the flexible flashlight further comprises a base-endassembly coupled to the proximal end of the housing.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly is configured to coupledetachably with the proximal end of the housing via a detachableconnector.

In certain aspects, the detachable connector is a magnetic connector, athreaded connector, or a spring-tension quick disconnector.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes an auxiliary batteryto charge the battery or power the flexible flashlight.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a hook or a magnet.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a suction cup module.

In certain aspects, the suction cup module is controlled by a switch orlever.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a swivel joint.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a clamp.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a base structure tosupport the housing in an upright position.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a USB power adapterto facilitate charging of an external device using the battery.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a tail attachmenthaving (1) a flexible, semi-rigid core coated with flexible material or(2) a spring-metal core coated with flexible material.

In certain aspects, the base-end assembly includes a mouthpiececomprising a soft material configured to be comfortably secured or heldby a user's mouth.

In certain aspects, the battery is a lithium ion battery.

In certain aspects, the battery is removable from the hollow cavity.

In certain aspects, each of said first and second plurality of LEDscomprises a first LED that is configured to be controlled independentlyof a second LED.

In certain aspects, the first LED and the second LED are positioned todirect light in opposite directions of one another.

According to a fourth aspect, a flashlight comprises: a housing defininga hollow cavity to house a battery; a light-end assembly having at leastone light emitting diode (LED), wherein the light-end assembly iscoupled to the housing; a communication module operatively coupled witha processor, wherein the communication module is configured tocommunicate commands or data wirelessly between the flashlight and anexternal communication device; and a user interface positioned on anexternal surface of the housing, the user interface being configured tocontrol a function of the flashlight.

In certain aspects, the external communication device is a smart phoneor a tablet.

In certain aspects, the flashlight further comprises a globalpositioning system (GPS) transmitter or receiver to track or monitor alocation of the flashlight dynamically, wherein the flashlight isconfigured to communicate the location of the flashlight to the externalcommunication device via the communication module.

In certain aspects, the flashlight is configured to communicate thelocation of the flashlight to the external communication device inreal-time or near real-time.

According to a fifth aspect, a flashlight comprises: a housing having aproximal end and a distal end, wherein the housing defines a hollowcavity to house a battery; a light-end assembly having a light componenthaving a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), wherein theplurality of LEDs is divided into a plurality of LED arrays that can beindependently activated or deactivated, and wherein the plurality of LEDarrays are arranged to direct light around and radially from an axisdefined by the light component; and a user interface positioned on anexternal surface of the housing, wherein the user interface isconfigured to adjust a desired amount of light around the axis byselectively activating one or more of the plurality of LED arrays.

In certain aspects, the user interface has a first extreme position anda second extreme position, wherein each of the plurality of LED arraysis deactivated when the user interface is in the first extreme positionand each of the plurality of LED arrays is activated when the userinterface is in the second extreme position.

In certain aspects, the user interface is configured to activate ordeactivate the plurality of LED arrays incrementally as the userinterface transitions between the first extreme position and the secondextreme position.

In certain aspects, the light component is configured to generateselectively between 0 and 360 degrees of light about the axis.

In certain aspects, the light component is a flexible linear shaft.

In certain aspects, the light component is a rigid linear shaft.

In certain aspects, the user interface is a knob or dial.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other advantages of the present disclosure will be readilyunderstood with reference to the following specifications and attacheddrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system diagram of an exemplary flashlight.

FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate an exemplary flashlight communication networkand external communication device to control and monitor a flashlight.

FIGS. 3a through 3d illustrate an exemplary wireless charging stationsfor use with a flashlight system.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram depicting an exemplary wirelesscharging protocol.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram depicting an exemplary mode selectionprotocol.

FIGS. 6a through 6d illustrates an exemplary modular flashlight andvarious types of detachable connectors for use with a modularflashlight.

FIGS. 7a through 7e illustrate exemplary light-end assemblies andlight-end configurations.

FIGS. 8a through 8j illustrate exemplary base-end assemblies andbase-end configurations.

FIGS. 9a through 9g illustrate an exemplary flexible light component foruse with the flashlight.

FIG. 9h illustrates an exemplary dual-headed flashlight having twoflexible light components.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram depicting an example flashlightbattery charging system protocol.

FIGS. 11a and 11b illustrate example powered detachable light-endassemblies for a flashlight.

FIG. 11c illustrates a flashlight having a compact light head bepositioned at an end of a flexible structure.

FIGS. 11d and 11e illustrate a flashlight having a 360-degree lightingelement.

FIGS. 12a through 12e illustrate an example lighting arrangement forproviding light incrementally from 0 degrees to 360 degrees about alongitudinal axis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be describedhereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings. The componentsin the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis insteadbeing placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the presentembodiments. For instance, the size of an element may be exaggerated forclarity and convenience of description. Moreover, wherever possible, thesame reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to thesame or like elements of an embodiment. In the following description,well-known functions or constructions are not described in detailbecause they may obscure the disclosure in unnecessary detail. Nolanguage in the specification should be construed as indicating anyunclaimed element as essential to the practice of the embodiments.

Recitation of ranges of values herein are not intended to be limiting,referring instead individually to any and all values falling within therange, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value withinsuch a range is incorporated into the specification as if it wereindividually recited herein. The words “about,” “approximately,” or thelike, when accompanying a numerical value, are to be construed asindicating a deviation as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skillin the art to operate satisfactorily for an intended purpose. Ranges ofvalues and/or numeric values are provided herein as examples only, anddo not constitute a limitation on the scope of the describedembodiments. The use of any examples, or exemplary language (“e.g.,”“such as,” or the like) provided herein, is intended merely to betterilluminate the embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scopeof the embodiments. No language in the specification should be construedas indicating any unclaimed element as essential to the practice of theembodiments. In the following description, it is understood that termssuch as “first,” “second,” “top,” “bottom,” “side,” “front,” “back,” andthe like, are words of convenience and are not to be construed aslimiting terms. For this disclosure, the following terms and definitionsshall apply:

The term “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, orillustration.” The embodiments described herein are not limiting, butrather are exemplary only. It should be understood that the describedembodiments are not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments. Moreover, the terms “embodiments ofthe invention,” “embodiments,” or “invention” do not require that allembodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage,or mode of operation.

The terms “communicate” and “communicating” as used herein, include bothconveying data from a source to a destination and delivering data to acommunications medium, system, channel, network, device, wire, cable,fiber, circuit, and/or link to be conveyed to a destination. The term“communication” as used herein means data so conveyed or delivered. Theterm “communications” as used herein includes one or more of acommunications medium, system, channel, network, device, wire, cable,fiber, circuit, and/or link.

The terms “coupled,” “coupled to,” and “coupled with” as used herein,each mean a relationship between or among two or more devices,apparatuses, files, circuits, elements, functions, operations,processes, programs, media, components, networks, systems, subsystems,and/or means, constituting any one or more of (i) a connection, whetherdirect or through one or more other devices, apparatuses, files,circuits, elements, functions, operations, processes, programs, media,components, networks, systems, subsystems, or means, (ii) acommunications relationship, whether direct or through one or more otherdevices, apparatuses, files, circuits, elements, functions, operations,processes, programs, media, components, networks, systems, subsystems,or means, and/or (iii) a functional relationship in which the operationof any one or more devices, apparatuses, files, circuits, elements,functions, operations, processes, programs, media, components, networks,systems, subsystems, or means depends, in whole or in part, on theoperation of any one or more others thereof

The term “data” as used herein means any indicia, signals, marks,symbols, domains, symbol sets, representations, and any other physicalform or forms representing information, whether permanent or temporary,whether visible, audible, acoustic, electric, magnetic, electromagnetic,or otherwise manifested. The term “data” is used to representpredetermined information in one physical form, encompassing any and allrepresentations of corresponding information in a different physicalform or forms.

The term “network” as used herein includes both networks andinter-networks of all kinds, including the Internet, and is not limitedto any particular network or inter-network.

The term “processor” as used herein means processing devices,apparatuses, programs, circuits, components, systems, and subsystems,whether implemented in hardware, tangibly embodied software, or both,and whether or not it is programmable. The term “processor” as usedherein includes, but is not limited to, one or more computing devices,hardwired circuits, signal-modifying devices and systems, devices andmachines for controlling systems, central processing units, programmabledevices and systems, field-programmable gate arrays,application-specific integrated circuits, systems on a chip, systemscomprising discrete elements and/or circuits, state machines, virtualmachines, data processors, processing facilities, and combinations ofany of the foregoing.

FIG. 1 illustrates a functional diagram for an exemplary flashlight 100.As illustrated, the flashlight 100 may include a processor 102, a powersupply module 132, and a light module 154. Where desired, the flashlight100 may further include a display module 130, a communication module108, a memory device 152, and one or more attachment interfaces 126. Thememory device 152 may include read-only memory (ROM) 146 to receive oneor more instruction sets, random access memory (RAM) 148 having aplurality of buffers for temporarily storing and retrieving information,and an internal data storage device 150, such as a hard drive, a solidstate drive or other non-volatile data storage device. A clock 134 isalso coupled to the processor 102 to provide clock, timing signals,and/or pulses thereto. The processor 102 may be operatively coupled toeach of the power supply module 132, the light module 154, the displaymodule 130, the communication module 108, the memory device 152, and theone or more attachment interfaces 126. The one or more attachmentinterfaces 126 may be used to communicatively couple and/or powervarious external devices 160 (e.g., those that may be removably coupledwith the flashlight 100). The various external devices 160 may include,inter alia, a removable USB adapter, electro-magnet, auxiliary powersupply, etc. The attachment interface(s) 126 may therefore act as theelectrical interface between one or more external devices 160 and theprocessor 102 (and/or the power supply module 132) to control and/orpower the various external devices 160.

Those skilled in the art will appreciated that the flashlight 100includes one or more bus structures for interconnecting its variouscomponents. For example, the various modules and components thereof maycommunicate with one another through software and/or hardwareinterfaces, which may be hard wired and/or wireless. Further, thehardware interfaces may be removably coupled such that one module can bereplaced or interchanged by the user. The various components of aflashlight 100 may be housed in a compact housing (or modular housing)to increase ease of use in mobile applications. The flashlight's 100housing may be fabricated from a material that anti-corrosive andresistant to water, dust, and/or shock. To that end, the flashlight's100 housing may be fabricated from one or more materials, includingplastic, metal (e.g., anodized aluminum, stainless steel), composites,or hybrids thereof, such as rubber coated metal, rubber coated plastic,etc. For example, where the flashlight 100 serves as a tactical light,the flashlight's 100 housing may be fabricated from metal or anotherdurable material.

Power Supply Module 132. The power supply module 132 may include a powerconverter 118, a charging circuit 120, a battery 122, an auxiliarybattery 166, and, where inductive charging is desired, a wirelessreceiver circuit 156. While power leads are not illustrated in FIG. 1,the power supply module 132 manages and controls the flow of electricalenergy from a power supply (via the AC port 124, the DC port 128, and/orthe wireless receiver circuit 156) to the various components of theflashlight 100.

The power converter 118 may receive one or more forms of electricalpower (e.g., an electromagnetic field, radio frequency (“RF”), directcurrent (“DC”), or alternating current (“AC”)) and to convert thereceived electrical power into a predetermined voltage and/or current.For example, the power converter 118 may be a DC-DC converter, an AC-DCconverter, a RF-DC converter, etc. For example, in operation, the powerconverter 118 receives power from a power supply (e.g., the wirelesstransmitter 116, the external DC power supply 162, and/or the externalAC power supply 164, such as 120 VAC line power, etc.) and converts itto a predetermined voltage and/or current, which is then passed to thecharging circuit 120 to charge the battery 122 and/or, where desired,one or more auxiliary batteries 166. The auxiliary battery 166, whichmay be positioned in the housing or external to the housing, may also becharged by battery 122, for example, when power is not available fromthe power supply. In certain aspects, the power converter 118 and/orcharging circuit 120 may be external to the flashlight's 100 housing(e.g., a wall-mounted AC/DC converter, colloquially known as a“wall-wart”).

The charging circuit 120 may charge the battery 122 and/or auxiliarybattery 166 using one or more charging protocols and/or by apply signalfiltering to power received from the power converter 118. The chargingcircuit may be operatively coupled with at least one battery (e.g.,battery 122, auxiliary battery 166, etc.) to store power needed tooperate the flashlight 100. The charging circuit 120, in conjunctionwith the processor 102, may monitor the capacity and charge level (e.g.,state of charge (SoC)) of the battery 122 (or auxiliary battery 166) andto determine safe charging thresholds. The charging circuit 120 may shutoff the flow of electrical power when the charging circuit 120 detectsthat the battery 122 and/or or auxiliary battery 166 has reached a fullSoC. In certain aspects, the charging circuit 120 may function as aswitch to allow energy stored in the battery 122 to be discharged to theDC port 128 via the power converter 118, which can be used to charge orjump start an external device. For example, the DC port 128 may be a USBport configured to both receive power to charge the battery 122 and tooutput DC power from the battery 122 to charge an external device (e.g.,a cellular phone, tablet, or other portable electronic) via the USBport. In another example, the battery 122 may be used to output a jumpstarting current to a vehicle. To that end, the battery 122 may be sizedto produce a jump starting current to a vehicle's combustion engine. Forexample, the battery 122 may be rated from about 3,000 mah to 30,000mah, or higher. A flashlight 100 having a 12,000 mah internal battery122, for instance, may output 200 cranking amps /400 peak amps via a DCport (e.g., via an EC5 connector/connection) during a jump startfunction, which is sufficient to start a vehicle. Higher power internalbatteries are contemplated for larger vehicles, trucks, and othervehicles with larger engines. Suitable battery boosting techniques aredisclosed by commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 9,397,513 by Brian F. Butleret al, filed Aug. 14, 2015 and titled “Compact Multifunctional BatteryBooster.”

The auxiliary battery 166 may be smaller than the battery 122 and usedto power only portions (or subcomponents) of the flashlight 100. Forexample, as will be described below in connection with FIGS. 11a and 11b, the flashlight 100 may include a detachable light-end assembly thatremains powered when detached from the housing. Accordingly, anauxiliary battery 166 may be integrated with the detachable light-endassembly to enable operation of the detachable light-end assembly, evenwhen detached from the remainder of the flashlight 100; thereby enablingthe detachable light-end assembly to generate light for a period of timeusing power stored to the auxiliary battery 166. As noted above, theauxiliary battery 166 may be charged by the battery 122 when thedetachable light-end assembly is connected to the remainder of theflashlight 100.

The battery 122 and/or auxiliary battery 166 may be a rechargeablebattery to store and output DC power, such as rechargeable lithiumbatteries, nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, etc. Examplerechargeable lithium batteries include, inter alia, lithium cobaltoxide, lithium manganese oxide, lithium iron phosphate, lithium nickelmanganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, andlithium titanate. The battery 122 and/or auxiliary battery 166 may beremovable from the flashlight 100 to allow the user to quickly exchangeor replace a depleted battery 122 with a fully charged battery 122, inwhich case a depleted battery 122 may be charged externally to theflashlight 100 via a wall charger or other external charger/chargerstation. This arrangement enables the user to charge the depletedbattery 122 while another battery 122 is in use, thereby decreasingdowntime.

Where a non-rechargeable battery (e.g., alkaline batteries) is used ordesired, the flashlight 100 may permit usage of either rechargeable ornon-rechargeable batteries. To that end, the processor 102 may firstconfirm that the battery 122 coupled to the flashlight 100 is arechargeable battery prior to supplying a charging current, therebymitigating the risk of fire by inadvertently supplying a charge currentto a non-rechargeable battery. In one example, the flashlight 100 mayemploy smart rechargeable batteries with an inter-integrated circuit or1-wire memory, where the battery 122 is treated as a non-rechargeablebattery (i.e., no charge current will be supplied) if theinter-integrated circuit or 1-wire memory is not detected. In anotherexample, the power supply module may include a circuit to distinguishrechargeable from non-rechargeable battery cells. For example, thecharging circuit 120 may measure the internal impedance of the battery's122 cells to differentiate between rechargeable (lower impedance) andnon-rechargeable cells (higher impedance).

The power supply module 132 may include a wireless receiver circuit 156to transfer energy in the form of an electromagnetic field from anexternal wireless transmitter 116 to the power converter 118. Thewireless receiver circuit 156 may include a receiver coil 158 (or anantenna, where applicable), a signal controller 112, and a signal switch114. The wireless receiver circuit 156 may receive one or more forms ofwireless power, including near-field wireless power and far-fieldwireless power. The processor 102 may be configured to identify thewireless power transfer standard employed by the external wirelesstransmitter 116 to prevent the flashlight 100 from being damaged by anincompatible energy source. Example wireless power transfer standardsinclude, inter alia, Wireless Power Consortium (Qi), Power MattersAlliance (PMA), Alliance for Wireless Power, and Federal CommunicationCommission regulations.

In certain aspects, the power supply module 132 may receive wirelesspower and an accompanying wireless power protocol handshake from thewireless transmitter 116, which may be passed to a signal controller112. The signal controller 112 may be electrically coupled to thewireless transmitter 116 via a receiver coil 158. The signal controller112 may receive the wireless power signal and prohibit (e.g., via signalswitch 114) the power from entering the rest of the power supply module132 until the signal controller 112 has determined whether the wirelesspower signal received is of a compatible wireless power transmissionstandard. To that end, the signal controller 112 may communicate with asignal switch 114 that can be selectively opened and closed to allowonly compatible wireless power signals to be passed to a power converter118.

Light Module 154. The light module 154 generally comprises a drivecircuit 106 that is operatively coupled with a light source 104. Thedrive circuit 106 may control and adjust the light emitted by the lightsource 104 based on commands from the processor 102 (or directly fromthe user interface 138). More specifically, the drive circuit 106 mayadjust the brightness of the light source 104. For example, the drivecircuit 106 may employ a pulse width modulator (PWM) to adjust thebrightness of light emitted by the light source 104 (e.g., when lightemitting diodes (LEDs) are used). The drive circuit 106 may use the PWMto achieve a desired brightness by selectively turning off and on theLEDs at a predetermined frequency or duty cycle. The LEDs may beprovided as, for example, chip-on-board (COB) LEDs, surface mounteddevices, PCB-mounted LEDs, etc. The brightness of the light source 104may be adjusted using, for example, the user interface 138 (a dimmerswitch/wheel positioned on the housing).

The light source 104 may employ one or more LEDs (e.g., an array ofLEDs) to produce white light. LEDs may be used to produce white lightusing three individual LEDs that emit three primary colors (i.e., red,green, and blue), which are then mixed to form white light. Anothermethod of forming white light is to coat the LEDs using a phosphormaterial. For example, a blue or UV LED may be coated with a phosphormaterial to convert monochromatic light to broad-spectrum white light.In certain aspects, the light source 104 may employ an ultraviolet (UV)light element (e.g., a UV LED) to track ultraviolet reactive fluids. Aswill be discussed with regard the modular flashlight illustrated in FIG.6a , the light source 104 may be detachable from the housing (e.g.,handle portion, base portion, etc.), thereby allowing the light source104 to be quickly interchanged with another light source (e.g., adifferent type of light source).

The drive circuit 106 may be configured to drive (e.g., selectivelyactivate) the light source 104 (or portion(s) thereof) in accordancewith one or more user-selectable predetermined modes, including aflashing mode, an SOS mode, etc. In the flashing mode, the drive circuit106 may flash the light source 104 at a predetermined frequency, whichmay be slow or rapid (e.g., to produce a strobing effect). In the SOSmode, the drive circuit 106 may flash the light source 104 in accordancewith a specific pattern that corresponds to the Morse code equivalentsto the characters “S”—“O”—“S.” The processor 102 may also be configuredto change to color of the light emitted by the light source 104 byselectively activating components of the light source 104. For example,the light source 104 may employ a plurality of light elements (e.g.,individual bulbs or LEDs) of various colors or temperatures, where theprocessor 102 may instruct the drive circuit 106 to illuminate aparticular group of light elements to yield a particular color,brightness, or temperature. For example, the light source 104 may beconfigured to generate light of different colors (e.g., red, green,blue, etc.) using the LEDs.

Display Module 130. The display module 130 may be used to inform theuser of the flashlight's 100 current status and/or mode of operation, aswell as other information (e.g., battery life, brightness, colortemperature, etc.). The display module 130 may comprise a display device142 operatively coupled with a display driver 144, which is operativelycoupled to the processor 102 (either directly as illustrated, or via thecommunication module 108). The display driver 144 may condition the datasignals sent to the display device 142 from the processor 102 togenerate a usable output that is compatible with the display device 142.In certain aspects, a speaker 168 may be added to produce an auditorytone to alert the user of the current status and/or mode. In certainaspects, the speaker 168 may be used for entertainment purposes byserving as a wireless speaker. For example, audio files from an externalcommunication device 110 may be played via the speaker 168 andcommunication module 108 using, for example, Bluetooth communication oranother wireless link.

The display device 142 may comprise one or more light emitting diodes(LEDs), a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, a segmented displaydevice, etc. For example, the display device 142 may be an alphanumericsegmented LED/LCD display or a matrix LCD display. The LED or LCD screenmay receive information from the processor 102 to create a graphicalinterface which may display images to represent each status and/or mode.In certain aspects, the display device 142 may further provide touchscreen functionality to facilitate a user input device via a thin layerof sensing circuitry present either beneath the visible portion ofdisplay device's 142 surface, or as part of a thin, clear membraneoverlying the display device 142 that is sensitive to the position of apen or finger on its surface.

Communication Module 108. The communication module 108 may be configuredto exchange commands and other data between the flashlight 100 and anexternal communication device 110 (e.g., computer, smart phone, tablet,PDA, etc.). The communication module 108 may include, inter alia, awireless transceiver 140, global positioning system (GPS) transmitter136, and a connection for other user interface(s) 138.

The user interface(s) 138 may enable the user to activate/deactivate thelight source 104, switch the light source 104 between lighting modes,etc. Example user interface(s) 138 devices may include, for example,physical buttons, physical switches, a digitizer (whether a touch pad,or transparent layer overlaying the display device 142), and other inputdevices. For instance, using the digitizer, a user may control orinteract with the flashlight 100 by writing, or tapping on the displaydevice 142 using, a pen, stylus, or finger.

The GPS transmitter 136 may be used to dynamically track and/or monitorthe location of the flashlight 100 (and its corresponding user) and torelay the location information in the form of positional data (e.g.,geographic coordinate system data or Internet Protocol (IP) address) fordisplay on the display device 142 or communicated to a remote computervia a communication network in real-time or near real-time. For example,in the case of an emergency, the flashlight's 100 positional data may becommunicated over the communication network to emergency responsepersonnel to assist in locating the user of the flashlight 100 (e.g.,soldiers, firemen, law enforcement personnel, outdoorsmen, etc.). Thepositional data may also be locally logged and stored to the flashlight100 (e.g., to internal data storage device 150) to facilitate trackingover a period of time. For example, the flashlight 100 may be used toconfirm that a security guard, or other personnel, hascompleted/performed his or her rounds (e.g., checked the perimeter ofthe property in a regular or timely fashion).

The wireless transceiver 140 may manage communication and/ortransmission of signals or data between the processor 102 and anotherdevice (e.g., an external communication device 110 via a communicationnetwork or directly with an external communication device 110). Thewireless transceiver 140 may be configured to communicate via one ormore wireless standards such as Bluetooth (e.g., short-wavelength,ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio waves in the industrial, scientific,and medical (ISM) band from 2.4 to 2.485 GHz), near-field communication(NFC), Wi-Fi (e.g., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers'(IEEE) 802.11 standards), etc. For example, wireless connectivity (e.g.,RF 900 MHz or Wi-Fi) may be built in to the flashlight 100 to provideremote monitoring and control the flashlight 100 via one or moreexternal communication devices 110.

A user may, via a communication network 202, control and dynamically(e.g., in real-time or near real-time) monitor for live status updates,charging/battery status, lighting conditions, and historic data and/orremotely update software and firmware. In certain aspects, an internalcellular modem may be implemented that utilizes standards-based wirelesstechnologies, such as 2G, 3G, code division multiple access (CDMA),orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), and Global System forMobile Communications (GSM), to provide wireless data communication overworldwide cellular networks. An advantage of an internal cellular modemis that there is no reliance on a user's local network (e.g., wirelessrouter, modem, etc.). For example, using said wireless transceiver 140,the flashlight 100 may download an entirely new lighting modewirelessly. In operation, the flashlight 100 may first download the newlighting mode into a secondary memory (e.g., a flash memory chip) beforeverifying the data is correct in the secondary memory, then, ability atany point thereafter to upgrade it into main microprocessor, withoutrequiring user consent. Indeed, it may be advantageous to forcepush/download certain updates to the flashlight 100 related to:reliability issues, safety, new battery charging profile, etc.

FIG. 2a illustrates a flashlight network 200 having a flashlight 100 andan external communication device 110, which may be used to monitorand/or control the flashlight 100. As illustrated, the flashlight 100may communicate directly with the external communication device 110 in apoint-to-point arrangement (e.g., using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.). Inanother example, the flashlight 100 may communicate with the externalcommunication device via a communication network 202 (e.g., over acellular network). In yet another example, the flashlight 100 maycommunicate with the external communication device via a relay device204 (e.g., a Wi-Fi router) coupled to the communication network 202(e.g., the Internet). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2b , theexternal communication device 110 may display a control screen to enablethe user to turn the flashlight on/off (e.g., via power icon 206) and/oradjust the brightness (via brightness icon 208) of the light source 104.The user may also monitor the SoC of the battery 122 via the batterycharge icon 212 (which may also be used to indicate whether the batteryis currently charging), as well as other status information (e.g.,brightness of the light, location of the flashlight, temperature of theflashlight, temperature of the area surrounding the flashlight,temperature of the light generated by the flashlight, status/faults,etc.) via the status window 210.

FIG. 3a through 3d illustrate a cross sectional view of a flashlight 100(e.g., perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the flashlight—at thehousing/handle) and an example wireless charging station 300.Specifically, FIG. 3a illustrates the wireless charging station 300 inan unloaded (empty) condition and FIG. 3b illustrates the wirelesscharging station 300 in a loaded (charging) arrangement. As illustrated,the wireless charging station 300 generally comprises a base 302defining a cavity 310 to receive a portion of the flashlight 100, asecuring system 304 to secure the flashlight 100 within the cavity 310(e.g., secured toward the base 302 in direction A), and a wirelesstransmitter 116 positioned in the cavity 310 (or on a surface of thecavity 310) proximate to the wireless receiver circuit 156, therebyinductively coupling the wireless transmitter 116 with the wirelessreceiver circuit 156 (e.g., via the receiver coil 158). Once theflashlight 100 is loaded (e.g., pressed or otherwise secured) into thecavity 310 of the base 302, the securing system 304 may hold theflashlight 100 by closing a pair of latches around the flashlight 100;this closed state is illustrated in FIG. 3b . Upon placing theflashlight 100 in the wireless charging station 300, the wirelesscharging station 300 may automatically start charging the flashlight's100 internal battery 122 and/or auxiliary battery 166. For example, thewireless charging station 300 may be configured to detect the presenceof the flashlight 100 by monitoring the load (e.g., detecting thepresence of the battery) on the transmitter coil of the wirelesstransmitter 116 or by exchanging data using, for example, NFC.

With reference to FIGS. 3c and 3d , a wireless charging station 300 maybe mounted to a vertical surface 306 (e.g., a wall, cabinet, vehicle,etc.), or configured to simply rest (or secure to) on a horizontalsurface 308 (in which case the securing system 304 can be omitted). Thewireless charging station 300 may secure the flashlight 100 by eitherits handle (illustrated at FIG. 3c ) or by an end (e.g., its proximalend as illustrated at FIG. 3d ).

When the flashlight 100 is configured to mount to a surface, whether avertical surface 306 or a horizontal surface 308, the light-end assemblyof the flashlight 100 may be interchanged as will be discussed below toserve as first type of light when docked and a second type of light whennot docked. For example, when mounted to a horizontal surface 308, theflashlight 100 may serve as a table-top lamp (e.g., a desk lamp, nightstand lamp, etc.) when charging and, when a portable flashlight isdesired, the flashlight 100 may be removed from the dock for hand-use bythe operator (the light-end assembly may further be interchanged, wheredesired). Because the flashlight 100 uses an internal battery, theflashlight 100 may be used as a table lamp when line power is lost.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram 400 for an exemplary wirelesstransmitter 116 protocol for use with a flashlight 100. Upon starting atstep 402, the wireless transmitter 116 monitors for a compatibleflashlight at step 404. If the wireless transmitter 116 detects acompatible device at step 406, the wireless charging source may thensend power to the device at step 408. If the wireless transmitter 116does not detect (or no longer detects) a compatible device at step 406,the wireless transmitter 116 reverts back to scanning for a compatibledevice at step 404. When a compatible device is detected and thewireless transmitter 116 is sending power to the device at step 408, thewireless transmitter 116 may obtain the battery charge level from thebattery 122 directly or from the processor 102. If the wirelesstransmitter 116 detects a “battery full notification” at step 410, thenthe wireless transmitter 116 stop power transmissions at step 412 andthe process ends at step 414, otherwise the wireless charging sourcereverts back to sending power to the device at step 408. The batteryfull notification (or another notification) may also be communicatedwirelessly to the external communication device 110.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram depicting an example mode selectionprotocol 500 for use with a flashlight 100 system. Upon starting at step502, the processor 102 waits to detect a user input at step 504, such asa button press or mode selection made from an external communicationdevice 110. If no user input is detected at step 504, then theflashlight 100 enters a loop and continuously waits for an input. Oncean input is detected at step 504, the processor 102 will update thedesired mode in accordance with the desired input selection. Upon theprocessor 102 changing the mode at step 506, the processor 102 may thendisplay the mode selection to the display device 142 at step 508. Unlessthe process is terminated at step 510, the processor 102 will return tostep 504 until another user input is detected. If process is terminatedat step 510, the process ends at step 512.

FIG. 6a illustrates an example modular flashlight 600. As illustrated,the modular flashlight 600 generally comprises a housing 602, alight-end assembly 604, and a base-end assembly 606. The housing 602 maybe sized and shaped to serve as a handle for the user to grasp and/orhold; however, other shapes and sizes are contemplated. For example, thehousing 602 may be shaped like a lantern base, puck, etc. The light-endassembly 604 generally comprises the light source 104 (e.g., LEDs, orother lighting element, such as lighting elements 710), while thebase-end assembly 606 may provide a physical attachment device and/orexternal devices 160. Where desired, either or both of the light-endassembly 604 and the base-end assembly 606 may be removably coupled withthe housing 602 via one or more detachable connectors 608. Asillustrated, the housing 602 may comprise a first end (e.g., a proximalend) and a second end (e.g., a proximal end) that is opposed the firstend (e.g., facing in opposed directions). A first detachable connectors608 may be positioned at a first end to secure a light-end assembly 604,while a second detachable connectors 608 may be positioned at a secondend to secure a base-end assembly 606.

The detachable connectors 608 may be configured to facilitate physicaland/or electrical connection. The cross-sectional shape of the housing602 may be round, square, or another desired geometric shape. Forexample, the housing 602 may comprise a flat side to serve as a base toprevent or mitigate rolling. The housing 602 may be hollow toaccommodate circuitry and other components of the flashlight 100. Forhand-held applications, the housing 602 may be about 2 to 18 inches inlength, more preferably about 4 to 12 inches, most preferable about 6 to8 inches in length, while the diameter may be between about ½ to 3inches, more preferably about ½ to 2.5 inches, most preferable about 1to 2 inches. The detachable connectors 608 may be configured to allowthe light-end assembly 604 to rotate relative the housing 602 about thelongitudinal axis of the flashlight 100 while maintaining operationalcontact (e.g., electrical contact) between the light-end assembly 604and components within the housing 602. For example, the female component608 a may be configured to rotate relative to the male component 608 bwhile maintaining electrical contact.

FIGS. 6b through 6d illustrate example detachable connectors 608 thatmay be incorporated in the flashlight 100. As illustrated, each of thedetachable connectors 608 generally comprises a female component 608 aand a male component 608 b and a set of electrical contacts 612, 614.The female component 608 a may be integrated with the housing 602, whilethe male component 608 b may be integrated with either the light-endassembly 604 or the base-end assembly 606. The opposite, however, ispossible where the male component 608 b may be integrated with thehousing 602, while the female component 608 a may be integrated witheither the light-end assembly 604 or the base-end assembly 606. Inoperation, the set of electrical contacts 612, 614 can be used toprovide the positive electrical path of the circuit, while theflashlight's 100 housing (when made of metal) can function as thereturn/neutral electrical path of the circuit. Where the flashlight's100 housing is not conductive, an additional set of electrical contactsmay be provided to serve as the return/neutral electrical path of thecircuit. FIG. 6b illustrates a detachable connector 608 with aspring-tension quick disconnectors 610 having a set of electricalcontacts 612, 614 to electrically couple the female component 608 a tothe male component 608b. Specifically, the female component 608 a mayinclude an electrical contact 612 sized and shaped to receive anelectrical contact 612 (e.g., a wire, or pin) positioned on the malecomponent 608b. FIG. 6c illustrates a detachable connector 608 whereeach of the female component 608 a and the male component 608 b includesa magnet 620 and an electrical contact 614 biased by a spring 616. Themagnet 620 may be, for example, an earth metal magnet (e.g., a neodymiummagnet) or an electromagnet that draws its power from the battery 122.FIG. 6d illustrates a detachable connector 608 where the male component608 b includes a plurality of grooves 618 (e.g., threads) configured tomate (screw) with corresponding grooves (e.g., threads) on the femalecomponent 608 a. Each of the female component 608 a and the malecomponent 608 b may include an electrical contact 614 biased by a spring616.

FIGS. 7a through 7e illustrate exemplary detachable light-end assembly604 for use with a flashlight 100 system. The flashlight 100 may allowthe attachment and detachment of various light-end assemblies 604depending on the user/lighting needs to supplement the functionality ofthe flashlight 100.

The light-end assembly 604 may employ a worklight light source 704 asillustrated in FIG. 7a . The worklight light source 704 may be agenerally rigid housing 706 shaped as a linear shaft with a strip oflighting elements 710 (e.g., LEDs) positioned on along the length of atleast one surface of the generally rigid housing 706, though two or moresides of the rigid housing 706 may comprise lighting elements 710. Atransparent (e.g., clear, tinted, colored) or opaque lens may beprovided over the strip of lighting elements 710 to seal them within therigid housing 706, thereby providing protection from external elements(e.g., dirt, water, etc.). In certain aspects, the lens and rigidhousing 706 may be fabricated as a single structure. The generally rigidhousing 706 may be pivotally attached to the light-end assembly 604 viaa pivot 708. The pivot 708 may be a hinge (to provide one degree offreedom as indicated by Arrow A) or a ball-and-socket joint (to providemultiple degrees of freedom). In other aspects, the light-end assembly604 may also employ a narrow beam housing 712 (FIG. 7b ), a wide beamhousing 714 (FIG. 7c ), or a lantern housing 716 (FIG. 7d ), each with atransparent or opaque lens, reflector, etc. In certain aspects, thehousing may be adjustable such that the light beam may be adjustedbetween a narrow beam and wide beam by twisting the end of theflashlight, which in turn would adjust one or more lens to focus thelight beam. Finally, as illustrated in FIG. 7e , the light-end assembly604 may employ a flexible light component 702 with a strip of lightingelements 710 (e.g., LEDs) positioned along the length of the flexiblelight component 702 (e.g., distributed along the length of the flexiblelight component 702). For example, the lighting elements 710 may bepositioned on a surface of the flexible light component 702 or embeddedin the flexible light component 702. As illustrated in FIG. 7e , theflexible light component 702 may be a flexible linear shaft that can bebent by the user to assume and hold a desired position. For example, theflexible light component 702 may be wrapped around a structure or shapedto fit into a desired space.

FIGS. 8a through 8j illustrate exemplary detachable base-end assembly606 for use with a flashlight 100 system. The flashlight 100 may allowthe attachment and detachment of various base-end assemblies 606 tosupplement the functionality of the flashlight 100. As illustrated inFIG. 8a , the base-end assembly 606 may include a USB power adapter 802to supply power between the battery 122 and another device via the USBpower adapter 802. In use, an external device (e.g., a cellular phone,tablet, or other portable electronic) may be coupled to the USB poweradapter 802 to receive a charging current from the battery 122 to chargethe external device. In another example, an external DC supply (e.g.,another battery, power bank, or AC/DC adapter) may be coupled to the USBpower adapter 802 to charge the battery 122 and/or power the flashlight100. In lieu of a USB power adapter 802, an EC5 port may be used tocarry higher currents to facilitate jump starting functionality. Asillustrated in FIG. 8b , the base-end assembly 606 may comprise anauxiliary battery assembly 804 to house an auxiliary battery 166 capableof powering the flashlight 100 and/or charging the inner battery 122when the inner battery 122 is depleted. The auxiliary battery assembly804 may include an integrated DC charging port (e.g., a USB port, barrelport, etc.) to charge the auxiliary battery 166 from a DC power supplywhen detached from, or otherwise separated from, the remainder of theflashlight 100 (e.g., the housing 602).

As illustrated in FIG. 8c , the base-end assembly 606 may have a hook806 to allow the flashlight 100 to be hung from by the base-end, therebyproviding hands-free use of the flashlight 100. The hook 806 may beflexible to allow it to fit around irregularly shaped objects. Asillustrated in FIG. 8d , the base-end assembly 606 may also beconfigured with a magnet 808, which would allow the flashlight 100system to attach magnetically to metal or other ferrous/magneticsurfaces. The magnet 808 may be an earth metal magnet (e.g., a neodymiummagnet) or an electromagnet that draws its power from the battery 122,which may be engaged and disengaged by an external communication device110 or user interface(s) 138.

As illustrated in FIG. 8e , the base-end assembly 606 may incorporate asuction cup module 810, which allows the flashlight 100 to be mounted toa smooth surface through the use of vacuum forces (e.g., suction). Thesuction cup module 810 may include a switch or lever 812 that engagesand disengages the suction cup to allow easy mounting and removal.Alternatively, a passive suction cup. As illustrated in FIG. 8f , thebase-end assembly 606 may include a swiveling (e.g., pivots and/orrotates) connection via a swivel joint and/or telescoping handle 814 toallow the user to illuminate places that are out of reach.

As illustrated in FIG. 8g , the flashlight 100 may include a springtension clamp 816 that allows the flashlight 100 to be secured onvarious surfaces or edges (e.g., the edge if a workbench). Asillustrated in FIG. 8h , the base-end assembly 606 may include a basestructure 818 to support one or more housings 602 in an upright and/orangled position. For example a plurality of housings 602 may be securedto the base-end assembly 606 to provide multiple light sources, whichmay be independently controlled and/or articulated.

As illustrated in FIG. 8i , the flashlight 100 may include a tailattachment 820 that allows the flashlight 100 to be secured to varioussurfaces by wrapping the tail attachment 820 around an object 826. Thetail attachment 820 may be coated (e.g., with flexible material, such asrubber or plastic) and may employ a flexible, semi-rigid core or aspring-metal core (e.g., the spring-metal core automatically coils orwraps) to retain a desired shape or position.

As illustrated in FIG. 8j , the flashlight 100 may include a mouthpiece822 (a bitable stem portion) that allows the flashlight 100 to be heldcomfortably in the user's mouth. The mouthpiece 822 may be fabricatedfrom, or overmolded/coated with, a soft material that can be comfortablysecured or held by the user's teeth. Example soft materials may include,for example, rubber (including hard rubber, such as vulcanized rubber),plastic, vinyl (e.g., dental vinyl), etc. When not in used, a cap 824may be positioned over the mouthpiece 822 to prevent contamination fromgerms, dirt, etc. The cap 824 may be, for example, threadedly coupled tothe flashlight 100 (e.g., housing 602 or base-end assembly 606) over themouthpiece 822. The flashlight 100 may include any other attachment,which adds functionality (e.g., water floatation device, tripod, solarcharging station, hand-crank charging station, etc.).

While the light-end assemblies 604 of FIGS. 7a through 7e and thebase-end assemblies 606 of FIGS. 8a through 8j are generally describedin connection with a modular/detachable design, the light-end assembly604 and the base-end assembly 606 may be permanently coupled and/orintegral with the housing 602.

FIGS. 9a and 9b illustrate a flashlight 100 (e.g., a flexibleflashlight) having a housing 602 and a flexible light component 702coupled at its proximal end to the housing 602. As noted above, theflexible light component 702 may be fixedly coupled to the housing 602or removably coupled (e.g., via a detachable connector 608). Asillustrated, the flexible light component 702 may include a flexiblehousing 902, a directed light lens 904, a flexible, semi-rigid structure906, and a plurality of lighting elements 710. The region of theflexible light component 702 between its proximal and distal ends may beflexed in any direction relative to the housing 602, thereby enablingthe user to aim the directed light lens 904 at a targeted area and/orbend the flexible light component 702 into a desired shape. The directedlight lens 904 may include one or more lenses configured to adjust thewidth or diameter of the beam generated by the directed light lens 904.For example, the user may twist the directed light lens 904 to adjustthe beam size.

Each of the lighting elements 710 may be employ one or more LEDs (e.g.,surface mounted LEDs 908 and/or separate LED packages 910) to producewhite light, whether using three individual LEDs that emit three primarycolors (i.e., red, green, and blue) or by coating the LEDs with aphosphor material. In certain aspects, the one or more of the LEDs maybe RGB LEDs to create light in multiple different shades of color byselectively illuminating the LEDs to mix the colors. In certain aspects,one or more of the lighting elements 710 may be an ultraviolet (UV)light element (e.g., a UV LED) to track ultraviolet reactive fluids. Forexample, a UV LED may be positioned behind the directed light lens 904.The lighting elements 710 may be provided as surface mounted LEDs 908,separate LED packages 910, or as a conventional LED housed in an epoxylens/case. For example, a plurality of surface mounted LEDs 908 may bemounted to a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) that may be continuousto span the length of the flexible housing 902 or, as illustrated inFIG. 9a , cut into segments, each being electrically coupled in a daisychain arrangement via electrical leads. Specifically, the configurationin FIG. 9a allows for more flexibility in the y-direction by alternatingat least one strip of flexible printed circuit board with at least onevoid that contains the electrical leads (e.g., wires, ribbon cable,etc.) to electrically couple each portion of flexible printed circuitboard to the next. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 9b , aplurality of separate LED packages 910 may be electrically coupled toeach other via electrical leads. Each separate LED package 910 mayinclude, for example, an LED chip (such as chip-on-board (COB) LED,which may be optionally coated with phosphor) affixed to a siliconsub-mount, which can then be coupled to a thermal heatsink. Each LEDpackage 910 may be positioned in (or on) an outer package to improvestructural integrity of the LED package 910, which may further include alens to guide light emitted by the LED chip. The LED package 910 may besecured within the flexible housing 902 via the outer package.

The flexible housing 902 may be generally cylindrical with a diameterbetween ⅛ inch and 1 inch, more preferably between about ¼ inch and ¾inches, and most preferably about ½ inch. The flexible housing 902 maybe about 2 to 24 inches in length, more preferably about 6 to 18 inches,most preferable about 12 inches in length. The flexible housing 902 maybe coupled at its proximal end to the light-end assembly 604, while thedirected light lens 904 may be coupled to the distal end of the flexiblehousing 902. While the directed light lens 904 and the flexible housing902 are illustrated as separate components, they may be fabricated as asingle component. The flexible housing 902 may be fabricated from one ormore flexible transparent (or semi-transparent) materials, including,for example, silicone, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polycarbonate, ethylenevinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer, etc. The flexible housing 902 may beconfigured to fully enclose and/or seal any enclosed electronics (e.g.,the lighting elements 710 and any associated electrical components) toprovide protection from dust, shock, and water.

The flexible housing 902 may be fabricated from one or more materials toprovide a desired light brightness, color, and/or distribution. To thatend, the flexible housing 902, or portions thereof, may be a clearmaterial, an opaque material to function as a diffusor, or a transparentcolored (or tinted) material to tint the light, filter the light, and/orprovide UV light. An opaque material may prove advantageous where, forexample, an even “soft glow,” while a clear material may be preferredwhen a used desired a bright light. In certain aspects, the flexiblehousing 902 may be segmented and/or fabricated from a plurality ofmaterials, such as a clear material, an opaque material, transparentcolored material, etc. Indeed, as best illustrated in FIGS. 9c through9e that illustrate example configurations taken at cross-section A-A ofFIG. 9 b, the flexible housing 902 may be divided lengthwise into two ormore segments. For example, the flexible housing 902 may be divided intotwo segments 910 a, 910 b as illustrated in FIG. 9c , three segments 910a, 910 b, 910 c as illustrated in 9 d, or four segments 910 a, 910 b,910 c, 910 d as illustrated in 9 e. While FIGS. 9c through 9e illustratethe flexible housing 902 as having a circular cross-section, othershapes are contemplated, including a flatter rectangular cross-sectionand an oval cross-section as illustrated in FIGS. 9f and 9g . A benefitof a flatter cross-section is that the flexible housing 902 may be moreeasily rolled upon itself for storage (e.g., wrapped or coiled).

Each of the segments may be fabricated from the same material, differentmaterials, or even as a single structure such that light is directed ina particular direction or a different form of light is emitted dependingon which strip (or array) of lighting elements 710 is illuminated. Theflexible, semi-rigid structure 906 may be embedded within the flexiblehousing 902 to allow the flexible housing 902 to maintain its shape. Theflexible, semi-rigid structure 906 may be, for example, a semi-rigidwire fabricated from metal or a metal alloy (e.g., aluminum, iron, andalloys thereof) to hold or maintain the shape of the flexible housing902 once bent by a user.

The flexible housing 902 includes a plurality of lighting elements 710positioned along the length of the flexible housing 902 between itsproximal and distal ends. For example, the plurality of lightingelements 710 may be embedded throughout the length of the flexiblehousing 902 to generated light along the length of the flexible housing902. In certain aspect, the plurality of lighting elements 710 may beconfigured to point in different directions to generate light around the360 degree diameter of the flexible housing 902. For example, withreference to FIG. 9d , two strips of lighting elements 710 may bepositioned facing in opposite directions, where each strip of lightingelements 710 generates lights about 180 degrees of the flexiblehousing's 902 diameter (e.g., each side of the dotted line). In anotherexample, with reference to FIG. 9d , three strips of lighting elements710 may be positioned facing different directions, where each strip oflighting elements 710 generates light about at least 120 degrees of theflexible housing's 902 diameter. In yet another example, with referenceto FIG. 9e , four strips of lighting elements 710 may be positionedfacing different directions, where each strip of lighting elements 710generates light about at least 90 degrees of the flexible housing's 902diameter. Similarly, the directed light lens 904 may include one or morelighting elements 710 to illuminate a targeted area (e.g., to functionas a spotlight).

The flashlight 100 may comprise a plurality of LEDs or LED arrays, eachof which may be independently activated/deactivated to yield a desiredlight profile. Further, each of the plurality of LEDs or LED arrays maybe independently dimmed (e.g., by adjusting a PWM driver to a given LEDor LED array) to yield a desired light brightness or intensity.

The independently controlled LEDs and/or LED arrays may be positioned ondifferent portions of the flashlight 100 (e.g., at segments 910 a, 910b, 910 c, 910 d). For example, the lighting elements 710 associated witheach segment of the flashlight 100 may be selectively activated (ordeactivated) to provide a desired amount of light around and outward(radially) from an axis defined by the longitudinal axis (X-axis) of theflexible housing 902.

FIGS. 12a through 12e , which uses the light of FIG. 9e as an example,demonstrates an example lighting arrangement for providing lightincrementally from 0 degrees (FIGS. 12a ) to 360 degrees (FIG. 12e ) oflight about the longitudinal axis. In this example, the longitudinalaxis coincides with the flexible, semi-rigid structure 906 positioned inthe flexible housing 902. As illustrated in FIG. 12b , the lightingelement(s) 710 of segment 910 a may be activated to provide 90 degreesof light about the longitudinal axis. To provide an additional 90degrees (totaling 180 degrees), the lighting elements 710 of segment 910b may be activated as illustrated in FIG. 12c . To provide an additional90 degrees (totaling 270 degrees), the lighting elements 710 of segment910 c may be activated as illustrated in FIG. 12d . Finally, thelighting elements 710 of all four segments 910 a, 910 b, 910 c, 910 dare activated, thereby providing 360 degrees of light about thelongitudinal axis as illustrated in FIG. 12e . While increments of 90degrees are described, larger or smaller increments may be provided byadjusting the number of independently controlled LEDs or LED arrayspositioned about the longitudinal axis.

A user interface (e.g., a knob or dial) may be provided on theflashlight 100 (e.g., at housing 602) to adjust the desired amount oflight around the axis defined by the longitudinal axis. For example,when the user interface is positioned at a first extreme position (e.g.,rotated all the way to the left) all lights may be deactivated asillustrated in FIG. 12a , while all lights may be activated when theuser interface is positioned at a second extreme position (e.g., rotatedall the way to the right) as illustrated in FIG. 12e . As the useradjusts (e.g., rotates) the user interface from the first extremeposition to the second extreme position, the lighting elements 710 mayactivate incrementally (e.g., one LED or one LED array per increment)until all lighting elements 710 are activated as illustrated in FIGS.12b through 12d . The knob or dial may be integrated with, for example,the housing or light head to enable a user to adjust the amount of lightthrough a twisting motion of the housing, the light head, or a portionthereof. Alternatively or additionally, the flashlight 100 may beprovided with a mechanical shutter to adjust the light profile byphysically obstructing or blocking the lighting elements 710 (or aportion thereof). The mechanical shutter may likewise be adjustedthrough a twisting motion of the housing, the light head, or a portionthereof.

While described primarily in connection with a flexible housing 902 usedin a flexible light component 702, the independently controllable lightsand/or mechanical shutter may be similarly applied to other lightconfigurations (e.g., the light-end assemblies 604 of FIGS. 7a through7d ) to provide a desired light profile. For example, FIGS. 11d and 11eillustrate example flashlights with LEDs positioned to provide between 0and 360 degrees of light about the longitudinal axis, in addition tolight directed in a forward direction. Specifically, as illustrated inFIG. 11d , a 360-degree lighting element 1110 may be provided at thefirst end of the flashlight (e.g., adjacent the forward-directed light)to provide 0 to 360 degrees of light about the longitudinal axis. The360-degree lighting element 1110 may comprise a lens, diffuser, and/or aplurality of independently controlled LEDs or LED arrays. In otheraspects, the 360-degree lighting element 1110 may be provided on thehousing, an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 11 e.

In certain aspects, a flexible light component 702 (or another light-endassembly light-end, such as those illustrated in FIGS. 7a through 7e )may be provided on each side of the housing 602. An example dual-lightflashlight 100 is illustrated in FIG. 9h . As can be appreciated, theflexible light components 702 may be removably coupled or fixedlycoupled (or a combination thereof) with each end of the housing 602. Adirected light lens 904 including one or more lighting elements 710 maybe position at the distal end of each flexible light component 702.

Turning to FIG. 10, a flow diagram is depicted of an example externalbattery charging protocol 1000. Started at step 1002, the batterycharging protocol is initiated. At step 1004, a measure parameter of theflashlight 100 and/or battery 122 is determined. The flashlight 100monitors various types of data (e.g., voltage, current, temperature),whereby the flashlight 100 calculates charge percent, battery health,system run time and other measurement parameters. Example measurementparameters include, for example, battery-charging faults (e.g., “NOFAULTS” or specific fault), battery-charge voltage (volts), batteryvoltage type, battery-charge current (amps), percent charge of battery,charge state type, actual charge time (minutes), battery temperature,temperature exceeded limit, AC power status (e.g., plugged in ordisconnected), gateway radio signal strength, and ACM software version(broadcast on connection only).

As step 1006, the parameter is outputted to the external communicationdevice 110 and displayed at step 1008. At step 1010, the user mayprovide one or more commands to the flashlight 100. For example, theuser may include an application command, reset microcontroller (e.g.,processor 102), reset nonvolatile memory after changing battery (e.g.,ROM 146 or data storage device 150), host firmware revision, request adropped message count, download checksum for file used for host usercontrolled software update, download firmware to external flash via ACM,request device code, product ID, and power mode, report of device code,product ID, and power mode, ACM connection status, and start or stop agiven charge.

At step 1012, the flashlight 100 may alert the user to one or morepotential issues. For example, an integrated speaker or display devicesmay output an alert (e.g., sound, visual, etc.) at step 1020 to indicateto the user that there may be an issue with the flashlight 100.Alternatively, the alert may be output to the external communicationdevice 110 and displayed at step 1020. The process may be cancelled atstep 1014, where, if cancelled, the process ends at step 1016.Alternatively, the process may return to step 1004 whereby the one ormore parameters are updated (e.g., re-measured) and the cycle continues.The cycle may be repeated dynamically (e.g., in real time) or inperiodic intervals (e.g., every 30 seconds to 5 minutes).

In operation, a user may wish to position the light in a small area,which may be difficult to reach due to the size of the flashlight 100(e.g., its housing 602). Therefore, it may be desirable to detach thelighting component from the remainder of the flashlight 100 for a periodof time. To that end, FIGS. 11a and 11b illustrate a flashlight 100having a detachable light-end assembly 604 that remains powered whendetached from the housing 602. The detachable light-end assembly 604 maybe electrically and/or communicatively coupled with the components ofthe housing 602 (e.g., the battery 122) via a wired tether 1102. Thewired tether 1102 may be configured to retract into the housing 602 whenthe detachable light-end assembly 604 is coupled to the housing 602. Thedetachable light-end assembly 604 may be physically coupled to thehousing 602 via a pair of clips 1104 a, 1104 b.

Where a wired tether 1102 is not desired, the detachable light-endassembly 604 may be equipped with an onboard power supply. Using theexample illustrated in FIG. 11b , an auxiliary battery 166 may bepositioned in the detachable light-end assembly 604 to power its one ormore lighting elements 710 when detached from the battery 122 and/orhousing 602. To recharge the auxiliary battery 166, the detachablelight-end assembly 604 may be coupled to the housing 602 to receive acharging power from the battery 122 and/or the charging circuit 120. Incertain aspects, the detachable light-end assembly 604 may comprise itsown DC port to facilitated charging of the auxiliary battery 166 via anintegrated power converter and/or charging circuit.

When desired, logic circuitry (e.g., a processors, memory, etc.) may bepositioned in or at the detachable light-end assembly 604 to facilitatecontrol and operation of the one or more lighting elements 710 (or othercomponents) when detached from the logic components of the housing 602.To reduce complexity of the detachable light-end assembly 604, thedetachable light-end assembly 604 may be configured to employ a defaultmode, for example, to maintain the user-selectable predetermined mode(e.g., constant, flashing mode, an SOS mode, etc.) at the time thedetachable light-end assembly 604 is detached from the housing 602. Inother aspects, the detachable light-end assembly 604 may also beprovided with a user interface to facilitate control and/or adjustmentof the one or more lighting elements 710 without necessitatingreconnection to the housing 602.

In another aspect, the desired electrical and lighting components of theflashlight 100 (e.g., the power supply module 132, light module 154,etc.) may be provided as a stand-alone compact light head 1106 to bepositioned at the end of a flexible structure 1108 (which may be bent toprovide a flexible hook, or other shape), an example of which isillustrated in FIG. 11c . To allow the user to insert or snake thecompact light head 1106 into small areas or crevices, the compact lighthead 1106 may have a diameter of, for example 1/8 to 1 inch, morepreferably about ⅜ inch. Similar to the above-described tail attachment820, the flexible structure 1108 may be a semi-rigid, flexible linearrod (or wire, tube, etc.) that coated (e.g., with flexible material,such as rubber or plastic) and may employ a flexible, semi-rigid core ora spring-metal core (e.g., the spring-metal core automatically coils orwraps) to retain a desired shape or position. The length of the flexiblestructure 1108 may be determined based on its application. For example,the flexible structure 1108 may be relatively short (e.g., 3 to 8inches) in automotive repair applications where many small-diameterobjects exist about which the flexible structure 1108 may be wrapped.However, in other applications, such as construction, it may bedesirable to wrap the flexible structure 1108 around a larger object,such as a drywall stud, column, or the like, in which case the flexiblestructure 1108 may be longer (e.g., over 8 inches, for example, 8 to 36inches).

While the present disclosure has been described with respect to what ispresently considered to be the preferred embodiments, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the disclosedembodiments. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims. The scope of the following claims is to beaccorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all suchmodifications and equivalent structures and functions.

All documents cited herein, including journal articles or abstracts,published or corresponding U.S. or foreign patent applications, issuedor foreign patents, or any other documents, are each entirelyincorporated by reference herein, including all data, tables, figures,and text presented in the cited documents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A flexible flashlight comprising: a housinghaving a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the housing defines ahollow cavity to house a battery; a light-end assembly having a flexiblelight component and a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), whereinthe light-end assembly is coupled to the distal end of the housing, andwherein the flexible light component has a proximal end and a distalend, the plurality of LEDs being distributed along the flexible lightcomponent between its proximal end and its distal end; and a userinterface positioned on an external surface of the housing, the userinterface being configured to control a function of the flexibleflashlight.
 2. The flexible flashlight of claim 1, wherein the light-endassembly is configured to couple detachably with the distal end of thehousing via a detachable connector.
 3. The flexible flashlight of claim1, wherein the flexible light component includes a flexible, semi-rigidstructure to maintain the flexible light component in a desired shape orposition.
 4. The flexible flashlight of claim 1, wherein the battery isa rechargeable battery and said flexible flashlight comprises a chargingcircuit to charge said rechargeable battery.
 5. The flexible flashlightof claim 4, wherein the charging circuit is coupled to a wirelessreceiver circuit configured to charge said rechargeable batterywirelessly using power received from an external wireless transmitter.6. The flexible flashlight of claim 1, further comprising a tailattachment having (1) a flexible, semi-rigid core coated with a flexiblematerial or (2) a spring-metal core coated with a flexible material. 7.The flexible flashlight of claim 2, wherein the light-end assemblycomprises an auxiliary battery to power the plurality of LEDs when thelight-end assembly is detached from the housing.
 8. The flexibleflashlight of claim 1, wherein the plurality of LEDs is divided into aplurality of LED arrays that can be independently activated ordeactivated.
 9. The flexible flashlight of claim 8, wherein the userinterface is configured to adjust a desired amount of light around alongitudinal axis defined by the flexible light component by selectivelyactivating one or more of the plurality of LED arrays.
 10. The flexibleflashlight of claim 9, wherein the user interface has a first extremeposition and a second extreme position, wherein (1) each of theplurality of LED arrays is deactivated when the user interface is in thefirst extreme position, and (2) each of the plurality of LED arrays isactivated when the user interface is in the second extreme position. 11.The flexible flashlight of claim 10, wherein the user interface isconfigured to activate or deactivate the plurality of LED arraysincrementally as the user interface transitions between the firstextreme position and the second extreme position.
 12. The flexibleflashlight of claim 11, wherein the flexible light component isconfigured to generate up to 360 degrees of light about the longitudinalaxis.
 13. A flashlight comprising: a housing having a proximal end and adistal end, wherein the housing defines a hollow cavity to house abattery; a light-end assembly having a plurality of light emittingdiodes (LEDs), wherein the light-end assembly is configured to coupledetachably with the distal end of the housing via a detachableconnector; an auxiliary battery situated in or on the light-endassembly, the auxiliary battery being configured to power the aplurality of LEDs when the light-end assembly is detached from thehousing, wherein the battery is configured to charge the auxiliarybattery when the light-end assembly is attached to the housing; and auser interface positioned on an external surface of the housing, theuser interface being configured to control a function of the flashlight.14. The flashlight of claim 13, wherein the at least one LED is asurface mounted light emitting diode electrically mounted to a flexibleprinted circuit board (PCB).
 15. The flashlight of claim 13, furthercomprising a charging circuit coupled to a wireless receiver circuitconfigured to charge said battery wirelessly using power received froman external wireless transmitter.
 16. The flashlight of claim 13,further comprising a DC port to output a jump starting current from thebattery to jump start an engine of a vehicle.
 17. The flashlight ofclaim 13, wherein the plurality of LEDs comprises a first LED that isconfigured to be controlled independently of a second LED.
 18. Theflashlight of claim 17, wherein the first LED and the second LED arepositioned to direct light in opposite directions of one another.
 19. Aflashlight comprising: a housing defining a hollow cavity to house abattery; a light-end assembly having at least one light emitting diode(LED), wherein the light-end assembly is coupled to the housing; acommunication module operatively coupled with a processor, wherein thecommunication module is configured to communicate commands or datawirelessly between the flashlight and an external communication device;and a user interface positioned on an external surface of the housing,the user interface being configured to control a function of theflashlight.
 20. The flashlight of claim 19, further comprising a globalpositioning system (GPS) transmitter or receiver to track or monitor alocation of the flashlight dynamically, wherein the flashlight isconfigured to communicate the location of the flashlight to the externalcommunication device via the communication module.